Safety-signal for power-vehicles.



W. MUFi'EzAY.

SAFETY SIGNAL FOR FOWER VEHICLES APPLICATIONIILED mus E1916. 1,241,421

Patented Spt. 25, 1917.

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n 1 WW/ TES PATENT f .WILLIAM MURBAY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES H.

MURPHY, BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY-SIGNAL FOR POWER-VEHICLES.

Specificationof Letters Patent. 2 Patented Sept, 25, 191 '1.

Application filed June 8, 1916. Se1jia1' No. 102,888.

i the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings,

.city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Signals for Power-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices to be used on power vehicles, such as automobiles or street-cars, for the purpose of giving a warning to the operators of other automobiles or cars, of operations, such as the applying of the brakes, which are frequently the cause of collisionsand like accidents. With my improved safety signal, the chauffeur of a car following behind one equipped wit-h my improvement, would become aware of the fact that the car ahead was going to be slowed down or stopped. by the application of-the brakes, even before he could observe the effect of the brakes, and thus he would be given more time in which to avoid a collision. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, and the features of novelty will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

- Figure 1 is a'front elevation of one form of my improved safety signal, with parts in section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation" thereof, with thecasing in section on line 2 2' of Fig. 1;Fig. 3 1s a detailyertitalsectmn of a stop forming part of my signal; Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the device; Figs. 5 and 5 are detail vertical sections illustrating one I way of operating my improved signal by the usual foot-brake of an automobile; Fig. 6 ,is a diagram illustrating the electric circuits; and Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views,1n elevation and horizontal plan respectively, outlining a way of operating my improved signal by means of the brake-controller lever of a trolley car.

The mechanism of my improved signal is shown located in a box or casing A of, rectangular shape, and this casing is provided at the rearwith an opening or sight A (which fmay be covered by a transparent pane A, if desired) through which, at certaintimes, thesignor slgnalproper B w1ll become visible. This sign consists of a plate asinFig. 4, in white letters on a dark back-' bearing a suitable word, say theword Brake ---'g"rouna, or in any other readily visible way.

Normally, the sign is concealed from view by a screen or shutter C, see Fig. 2'. 'This screen, of substantially rectangular shape,

is secured to two. arms C carried by a rock normally to the active or concealing position shown by full lines in Fig. 2, a stop E secured within the casing. serving ,to limit the downward movement of the said screen and to determine its normal-positionf On the rock-shaft D is also secured rigidly an armature F adapted to be attracted by the poles of an electromagnet G. The electromagnet G is connected by wires G, G" with binding posts H, H respectively. To opera ate the signal, by causing the screen C=to swing up and expose the sign B to view, I' may, as shown in Figs. 5, 5 and 6, connect the binding post H by a wire J witha contact spring K located in the path of a pori tion of the foot-brake lever L (fulcrumed at L), but normally out of contact therewith. This lever is adapted to engage at "the same time with the spring K, a similar. spring K connected by av wire J withf a source of electricity, such as a battery. M. The other pole of said battery is connected sition sho'wn'bydotted lines in Fig. 2. The brake sign B will thusvbe clearly exposed to 7 view, and since the device, is so located on the automobile as to'be readily visible to the chaufli eur of another motor car following inthe rear, quick warning will be given of the fact hat the brakes are being applied, even;- before the braking action itself becomes noticeable to the driver of the car following 110 The weight of the screen should however be suflicient' to cause it to drop by a wire J with the binding post H. With 1 armature F and lift the screen C to the po in the rear. Accidents through collision or the like are therefore prevented, or at least the danger of such accidents is reduced considerably. A convenient position for the apparatus would be on one of the rear mudguards.

Inasmuch as a power vehicle is often subjected to jars, it is desirable to lock the screen C in its normal or active position, to prevent it from being thrown up accidentally into the active position in which the brake sign is visible. For this purpose, one of the arms C is normally engaged, on the side of the shaft D opposite to that on which the stop E/is arranged, by a bolt N adapted to slide under said arm, and, in conjunction with said stop, the sliding bolt will normally lock the arm C and the screen connected therewith. The bolt N slides in a suitable stationary guide 0, in a direction parallel to the shaft D, and is made of iron or other suitable material, so that it may be attracted by the electromagnet G, adjacent to which it is located onthe same side of both electromagnet cores, so that each core will attract the armature or bolt in the same direction. A spring N tends to restore the looking bolt N to its normal position, in the path of the arm C, while the magnet Gr, when energized, will withdraw the bolt N from the path of said arm, the magnetic attraction acting in opposition to the spring N. So

when the magnet circuit is closed in the manner described above, the first effect will be to retract the bolt N from its locking position, and then the armature F with the screen 0 will be swung as described above to uncover the brake sign B. When the circuit is broken upon the return of the brake.

lever L to its normal position, the weight of the screen C. will cause it to drop back to its normal osition; upon the breaking of the circuit, t e bolt N'has been shot back to its normal position by the spring N, and lies above the arm C, and in the path thereof. As this portion of the arm C swings .up during the return of the screen C to its normal position, it comes in contact with the bolt, and in order to allow the latter to yield so that the arm C may pass by, those portions of the arm'and of the bolt which meet during the return swing of the arm are properly shaped, as by'beveling the upper surface of said arm at C and the under surface of the bolt. When this portion of the arm. has swung up past the'bolt N, the spring N will restore the bolt to the normal locking position.

At night the signal might be lighted by a suitable lamp P located in the rear of the casing A above the opening A and under a hood Q which may act both as a protector for the lamp and as a reflector to throw its light on the sign B. Thelamp P may be in the ordinary. lighting circuit of theautomobile, to burn permanently as long as the other lights are burning. It is preferable, however, for the sake of economy, to light the lamp P only at such times as the screen C is lifted to uncover the sign B. For this purpose, the swinging screen C may be connected with a circuit-closer for said lamp P, for instance as follows: One of the arms Gis adapted to fit between two stationary, 'elding contact members or springs R, at the time the screen is fully lifted (see dotted lines in Fig. 2). Que of these contact springs is connected by a wire S with the binding post H, the other contact spring is connected by a wire S with one terminal of the lamp P, and the other terminal of said lamp is connected by a wire S" with the binding post H. A switch T (Figs. 1 and 6) may be included in the lamp circuit, and in daytime this switch could be turned off, as shown in Fig. 6, since the lamp would not be required; This switch'T would of course be located so as to be readily accessible. It will be seen that the lamp circuit forms a shunt to the circuit of the electro magnet G, both being supplied with current from the battery M or other source of electricity. It will also be observed. that at first only the .electromagnet circuit is closed, the full strength ofIthe battery current paming into said electromagnet circuit, and this is an advantage inasmuch as it insures a proper operation of the screen 0 even when the battery M is almost run down. The cur-' rent enters the lamp circuit onl when the screen C has already reached the position inwhich it uncovers the sign B. The circuit-closer or switch formed by the lever L in conjunction with the contact rings K, K is in the circuit of the lamp as in the circuit energizing the electromagnet G. Thus, should the armature F for any reason stick in the, attracted position, the lamp circuit would nevertheless be broken by the return of the lever 'L to its normal position, Fi 5 and 6. That is to say, the switch K, L is in the circuit ortion (H, J, M, J, J, H) which may said to be common to the electromagnet circuit and to the lamp circuit, and is arran at a point between the source of electricity M and one of the points of junction of the brakes, would complete the circuit of the electromagnet G by engaging two stationary spaced contact members or V,

as well.

cars, and said lever might be made with a pro ection U which, in the p0,

sition of the controller which applies the 'V connected to the wires-J, J; that is to say, these springs V, V would correspond to the springs K, K, and the lever U to the lever L, the operation being perfectly analogous t0 the one describedv above.

Of course, I do not restrict myself to the details of construction shown, nor to operating my signal by thefoot-brake lever of a motoncar, or by the brake-controller-lever of a trolley-car, but I wish it to be understood 'that various modifications may be 7 made without'departing from the nature of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Iclairn as my invention: 7 l. Asignal, particularly for power Vehicles, provided with a member movable from an active position to an. inactive position, a pivoted arm extending from said member to and beyond the axis about which such mem'ber swings with said arm, a devicefor engaging and lockingsaid arm on the side of said axis opposite to said memher when the latter'is inone of its positions, and means for moving said device to a releasing position and causing said men her to assume its other position.

2. A signal, particularly for power vehicles, provided with a swinging member movable from an active position to an inactive position, a slide movable in a direc tion parallel to the axis about which said member swings, and. adapted to lock said memb r, and means for efiecting movement of sa slide and of said swinging member.

3.- A signal, articularly for power vehicles, provided with a rocking member movable-from an active position to an inactive position, ah armature connected with said member, an 'electro-magnet for attract ing said armature, a slide adapted to lock said member and movable toward and from said electro-magnet, said slide bemg of magnetic material, and a spring for moving said slide away from the electro-magnet.

A. A signal, particularly for power vehicles, provided with a -member movable from an active position to an inactive position, a pivoted arm extending from said member to and beyond the axis on which said member. swings with said'arm, a de-i vice for engaging and locking said arm on the side of the said axis opposite to said specification.

WILLIAM MURRAY,

7 member, said device being of magnetic ma- 

